1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to the field of accessories for bath tubs, spas and swimming pools, and more specifically to a floating device for supporting such accessories that is anchored to a side wall of the bath tub, spa or swimming pool, and floating nearby.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bathers in artificial bathing water enclosures (such as bath tubs, spas, swimming pools and the like) use a number of accessories. Such accessories include but are not limited to soap bars, candles, bubble bath, bath oil beads, aromatic substances such as burning candles, radios, etc.
Presently such accessories are placed either peripherally to the water enclosure, or on the water itself, either on floating structures or to float by themselves. Neither solution is perfectly satisfactory for some of them.
When the accessory floats on the water surface, the bather needs to monitor it constantly, which is distracting. If not, the accessory might drift too far away to be useful. For example, a radio floating on a swimming pool might drift to a point where it is no longer heard well. Or, the accessory may drift to a close location where the bather may accidentally bump it. This would be a problem if the accessory is a burning candle. And it would be a big problem if the burning candle set a hanging curtain on fire.
When the accessory is placed on the rim of the artificial bathing water enclosure, it might not be close enough to the bather. For example, a candle placed on the rim might illuminate unsightly surroundings, such as a wall, a sink, a toilet, etc. Worse, the slightest air current carries away the aroma, thus detracting from the bather's olfactory ambiance.
For these reasons it is desirable to have candles close to the bather, where they contribute more to stress relief and even add a romantic ambiance. A problem with that is that the level of the water surface changes with time. It changes slowly as a bath tub is draining, and quickly when bathers get in and out of it. As such, it is desirable to make the candle float, because that would follow automatically the changing level of the water surface.
Efforts to make candles float mostly address the concern of preventing the candle from tipping over. U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,328 teaches to add a weight 41 at the bottom, so as to lower the center of gravity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,408 teaches to support a candle with a hollow annular air-filled structure 43, also known as floater, spaced at a relatively large radius from the candle stem. However, none of these references deal with the problem of the candle drifting away from its original location.